The Kitty Kat Killer
by CrewsZen
Summary: A night of need. Chapter 6 is complete and posted as one chapter. Rated NC-17 for a reason.
1. Chapter 1 Jeanna Hickinson

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Life or it's characters, but damn, I really wish I did.

Captain Tidwell came into his office, where he currently had his two lead detectives waiting for him and dropped a file onto his desk. "Well, boys and girls, looks like we're gonna have a busy week. For starters we got a tip on the anonymous line that you two get to go check out." He passed a slip of paper across the desk to them, "Here's the address. Let's wrap this up quickly; I've got seven other homicides from just this weekend. Let's move."

Dani Reese had no trouble figuring out which loft was the victims. There were seven police cruisers parked out front with lights still flashing, the coroner's van, and the crime scene unit's SUV. She pulled up as close to the curb as she could.

There were several small groups of officers questioning people who they could only assume were the victims neighbors. A young patrol officer held the door open for Dani and Charlie. "Third floor." They nodded their thanks and made their way to what looked like a freight elevator.

Charlie pulled the grate down and they stepped inside. After pushing the button for what turned out to be the top floor, Detective Crews looked over at his partner and smiled. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an apple. He held it out to her to which she shook her head. He shrugged and took a large, and very noisy, bite out of it.

As they stepped out of the elevator they noticed several officers standing in front of a very large sliding metal door. They walked into the loft and took in the scene around them.

The crime scene unit was busy dusting for fingerprints in the kitchen. They continued walking through until they came across the victim.

A blonde woman who looked to be in her late twenties was sprawled, naked across a bed with black satin sheets. She was laying on her back, her right foot on the pillows and her left foot tucked up under her right knee. She was at an angle on the bed so that her head was hanging over the side of the bed, her hair spilling down the side, a stark contrast to the black sheets. Her left hand was resting on her thigh, her fingertips on her labia. Her right hand was holding her breast. Her eyes and mouth were closed. She looked as if she could have been sleeping or posing for a picture if it weren't for the round bullet hole in the middle of her forehead and the small amount of blood surrounding it.

Detective Charlie Crews tilted his head to the side, as if seeing the crime scene through a different angle might help him to figure it out, "Déjà vu."

His partner looked at him and raised an eyebrow. She noticed a patrolman walking up to them and braced herself.

"That's what I said, too. I'll help you out. Miss April 1999, May 2002, and September 2005."

Charlie's eyes widened and he turned to look at his ex-partner. "Oh! That's right, Bobby. She liked camping and bird watching."

"That's her."

Reese accepted driver's license that another patrolman was holding out to her and said, "Jeanna Hickinson."

Bobby and Charlie grinned, "Jeeeannnna," they said, almost reverently.

Dani took a deep breath and looked back over at the bed. She couldn't quite place what was bothering her until she saw the crime scene investigator take a swab of the blood from around the bullet hole. "She was shot in the head, where's all the blood?"

Charlie cocked his head to another side, "Where _is_ all the blood?"

Bobby Stark motioned with his thumb to the adjoining room. "It's pretty obvious that he shot her in the other room and then brought her in here."

Crews started walking around the room while looking at the victim, "He shot you in there and then brought you in here and posed you like your first centerfold in Kitty Kat. Why?"

Reese looked at the crime scene technician as she walked by, "You got everything you need?" The young woman nodded and left. The photographer took one last picture and nodded as well. Dani looked over at the coroner and said, "Okay, get her out of here."

The three officers moved out of the way as the medical examiner's assistants lifted the woman onto a gurney, covered her with a sheet, and strapped her onto the gurney. They wheeled her out, Bobby and the rest of the uniforms following her.

Reese looked out of the window and saw the officers making a path through the press to get her to the coroner's van. "Amazing. They sure don't waste any time."

Charlie looked at all of the windows and at the locks on the door. "Doesn't look like forced entry."

Dani nodded her head and added, "No witnesses, called in on the anonymous tip line."

It was Charlie's turn to nod his head, "Tidwell won't be happy."

She shook her head in agreement, "Copy that."

As they strapped themselves into the car, Dani realized that she wasn't going to be able to let something go. She was just going to have to ask about it. "Okay, so I have to ask.

How did you know about her if you were in prison?"

"Oh. Um, the prison library actually has several subscriptions to a wide variety of several, um, magazines. Kitty Kat happened to be one of them. Also, when Constance took my case and started working on everything she demanded that I be given certain things. She made sure I had a copy of every issue of Kitty Kat that had been released since my arrest."

"Right. Your lawyer, your _female_ lawyer, just demanded that you be given 12 years worth of porn? And anyway, they don't allow that in prisons."

"Actually they do."

She glanced over at him. "Okay. So they allow it. And your attorney demanded that you have them?" she asked. Her eyebrows knitted together as she realized how high pitched her voice had become.

Charlie turned his head so he was looking out of his window and mumbled something that she couldn't understand. She glanced over at him again. She could swear he was blushing! Her lips pulled up slightly at the corners.

"What was that, Crews?"

"I said," he enunciated, "that I _may_ have mentioned something to her about missing my subscription when she asked me if there was anything else she could get me while I was waiting."

"I see." Dani just smiled and let Crews continue to look at the window. For once, Dani Reese got a nice quiet ride back to the station


	2. Chapter 2 Tiffany Chambers

_Author's note: So, apparently I am in desperate need of beta. I have a habit of not sleeping well and staying up late, and then doing most of my writing at that time. Thus, many many errors in this chapter. So, here it is as it should have been. Sorry_.

Chapter Two

Detectives Dani Reese and Charlie Crews walked into the bullpen, heading over to their desks. Tidwell stepped in their path, "Don't even think about sitting down, kids. This looks likes it's taking a turn into Ugly Town. We got another anonymous tip. This time we looked up the address in the database and got a name first. It's another Kitty Kat centerfold. Tiffany Chambers. Miss July –"

"—1998," Charlie finished for him.

Tidwell gave him an appraising look. "Right. She liked –"

"—sports," Charlie finished, "especially football and soccer." He smiled a little wistfully, his eyes drifting up a bit.

Tidwell smiled and nodded his head, "Yeah. Used to be a cheerleader."

They both seemed to get lost in their own thoughts.

Reese looked incredulously at them. "You two done being twelve yet? Maybe we can go try to find out who killed these two."

Both men looked at her. She turned to walk away and Crews fell into step behind her. They had only taken a couple of steps when they heard Tidwell calling after them.

"Detectives? The press has already dubbed this guy the Kitty Kat Killer. I do not, I repeat, _not_ need that kind of press. Your very own Captain has a date tonight, let's make him look good."

He smiled at their blank looks and turned, expecting that they would go do what they were known for, catching the bad guy.

Reese sat in the driver's seat getting more annoyed by the second. He was doing it again. Reading all the damn sale signs people were waving on the street corners. It drove her nuts. She could read. If she wanted it read to her she would have asked.

"30% off at Gottschalks. They're going out of business, I'd wait for a better sale."

_"If you shoot him, you'll go to prison and loose your job. And worse, you'll probably end up sounding like him,"_ she told herself.

"Whoa! 80% off at Furniture-R-Us."

This piqued her interest. She needed a new couch.

"Really?"

"Shouldn't it be Furniture-Is-Us?"

She had been bullied into babysitting her cousin's puppy by her father. Said puppy had proceeded to pee on everything around and chew up her couch overnight. Said puppy spent the rest of the stay either on a leash attached to Dani's hand or in the bathroom. She had let her cousin, father, and uncle all have it when they came over to pick up the puppy, "Sweet Pea".

"Sweet Pea my ass."

Crews stopped babbling about correct grammar and spelling in store names, lifting his eyebrows and swinging his head around to look at his partner. "What was that?"

She looked over, startled that she had said anything out loud. "Nothing."

He looked at her for a moment before turning to look out the window again. "40-60% off at Joe's."

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

"Kohl's is having a sale this weekend."

He was going to be the death of her, she knew it.

"Three topping pizza from Domino's for seven bucks."

Or she him. That was a much more pleasing thought.

"Bed, Bath, and Beyond is 10-20% off."

He wasn't going to stop. She knew it.

"New Affordable Homes are just down that street," he pointed towards his window.

She'd have to distract him.

"Actually, I, um," she took a deep breath, "I need a new couch."

"Really? What happened to yours?" His attention was now completely focused on Dani.

"Sweet Pea happened to my couch, and now it's unusable and I need a new one."

He thought about this for a moment and she hoped that perhaps it was all she had needed to do to keep him quiet until they got there.

"I need a couch too. Or so I'm told." He didn't sound to her as though he believed this to be true.

"Oh yeah?"

"Apparently sometimes a table is just a table. Same goes for couches."

She shook her head slightly as if to clear it. She wouldn't ask. She wouldn't.

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked.

"You want the long or the short answer?"

"For the love of God and all that's holy, please, the short one."

"It is what it is."

She pulled up next to the curb and looked over at him. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, all the while, maintaining eye contact. He looked away. All of a sudden his face lit up and she scrambled to get out of the car and shut the door before he could blurt out whatever absurd statement came into his mind next. She didn't quite make it.

"Hey, Reese, we could get matching couches!"

_"Here we go,"_ she thought, though what came out of her mouth was a simple, "No."

"But, we could match."

"I caught that."

"Oh, come on. Then when you come to my house or I go to your house we'd feel just like we were still at home."

They walked through the lobby doors.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement, starting with the fact that we don't go over to each other's houses."

"Yeah, but now we could."

They walked through the door of the apartment and into another gruesome scene.

"Déjà vu," whispered Charlie.

Dani turned to look at him. "Just like her first centerfold as well?" she asked.

He nodded his head but before he could answer Bobby walked up and started giving his preliminary report.

"Tiffany Chambers, posed just like her first, and only, centerfold layout. Her hair's pulled back in a…well, you see how it's pulled back, like you wear, Detective Reese –"

"Ponytail," she supplied.

"Yeah. Anyway, turns out her hair is wet. Crime unit found a pool of some liquid by her mouth and they think he drown her. Tub was still wet when got here, but it had already been drained. No sign of forced entry, neighbors didn't hear a thing."

The three of them continued to stand there, looking at the poor girl. She was on a leather couch on her stomach. Her hands were on the stuffed arm of the couch. Her knees had been pulled up under her chest. She head lay tilted to the side, a blank stare on her face.

"I kind of like it, Reese. What do you think?"

Bobby and Dani exchanged worried glances then looked over at Charlie.

"What?" He asked innocently, looked at both of them staring at him as if he'd grown horns. He thought back over what he had said and looked at the couch again. There was no mistaking the startled look of horror on his face, "Oh! The couch. Not the, uh…," he smoothed his tie, "not the dead kitten."

"Kitten? Really?"

He took a deep breath, "It what's they're called," he said while nodding his head up and down.

"I know that, Detective."

"So?"

"So, I just find it…you know what? Never mind. I know you had a subscription, and this is just…just never mind," she finished, her fake smile firmly in place.

He squinted his eyes and looked away. He wished he had never told her about that subscription because now she seemed upset. But she had asked, what was he going to do?

He'd have to distract her.

"So, what you think about the couch?" he asked. His face was excited. Like a kid on Christmas day.

It never ceased to amaze her how quickly he could jump from one feeling and expression to the next.

"What about it?"

"I like it. We could buy a couch like this one. Do you like it?"

Bobby quickly shifted his gaze from the couch Charlie was talking about to his shoes, though he knew he still had a surprised expression on his face. Damned if he could get his eyebrows to lower, he was just impressed that he had managed to keep his mouth from falling open.

"Crews!" Dani hissed. She knew what that must have sounded like.

"Stark," she started. He raised his hands up in front of him and started backing away quickly saying, "None of my business. I didn't hear anything, don't worry, I won't say a word." He was out the door before she could say anything and she certainly wasn't going to start hollering at him to get his attention.

She glared at Crews, who was looking around the crime scene as if nothing had happened.

_"You will not shoot your partner. You will NOT shoot your partner,"_ she repeated over and over in her head.

She walked out the front door, frankly not caring whether or not Detective Crews was following.

As she was putting on her seat belt, he got into the car. She didn't say a word, just ignored him.

She drove back towards the station.

"Wanna stop for a bite?" Charlie asked.

She drove right past his favorite fruit stand.

"Reese?"

_"Do you really think he has any idea that he's even done anything wrong?"_ she asked herself.

"Dani?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay, okay, what did I do now?" he asked, slightly exasperated.

_"Oh hell no. Did he just sound pissed at me???"_

She chuckled ruefully. "Do you have any idea what that just sounded like to everyone in there? I mean, do you know? Do you care?"

"What did I say?" This time Charlie sounded completely confused.

_"Dammit!"_ She didn't know how he always managed to sound so damn innocent.

She ground her teeth together for a moment before taking another deep breath. "You said 'We could buy a couch like this one.' Do you know what that sounds like? Like we're buying furniture together. Like we're…we're….like…"

"Sleeping together?" he said. The thought seemed to intrigue him. It was quiet for the rest of the ride back to the station. For that much, she was grateful.

She turned to him before getting out of the car, "You _will_ square this away with your buddy, Stark."

He nodded his head, "I will, I will." He was utterly sincere and she knew it. It was the only thing keeping her from hitting him squarely across the jaw.

TBC

_Author's note: I realize there were only minor changes, but I think they were important. I'm currently looking for a beta. If anyone is interested, please email me at __. Thanks._


	3. Chapter 3 Nirvana

_Author's Note: First of all, I have to say thank you to Cap Streeter, who was kind enough to beta for me. Phenomenal job, CS, thank you. All errors are my own entirely. Secondly, I've tried to indicate thoughts by the use of italics. When there are italics mixed with regular type in a spoken sentence it for emphasis. I hope that isn't too confusing and that you enjoy. I still down own Life, I'm just doing this because I love the show and the characters and I'm just a little bit weird. ;-) Enjoy._

**Chapter Three**

Detective Dani Reese stood in the bathroom for a moment longer. She took another deep breath and told herself that everything was going to be just fine. She was currently upset due to the fact that her partner, whom she did actually like from time to time, had recently lost his freaking mind and asked her if she wanted for them to buy a couch that looked like the victims. In front of another officer. Who does that?

She was certain that any shot she had of regaining her reputation was now totally and completely gone. Yes, her partner had promised her that he would straighten matters out, but who knew how that would really turn out. You could only deny something so much before it started to look like you were denying it too much.

She knew that people in the medical profession referred to high blood pressure as the silent killer because there were no symptoms. One could carry on and never know that they suffered from high blood pressure until it became too late and one had a stroke or died. Dani Reese, however, was certain that all of those people were utterly and completely full of shit. She knew that whenever she thought of her red-headed partner, she could certainly feel her blood pressure rising. There was no other explanation. She could feel it.

Leave it to Crews to defy explanation.

---------

Detective Charlie Crews stood in the bathroom for a moment longer. He took another deep breath and told himself that everything was going to be just fine. Unless it wasn't going to be just fine. He supposed there were really only the two outcomes. Either it would be fine or it wouldn't. He told himself that he could talk to Bobby, tell it to him straight, and that having that talk would make it more likely than not that things would be okay. He took another deep breath.

"_Don't seek reality, just put an end to opinions."_

Charlie left the men's room and headed to the vending machines and sat down at the break room table. They may not be partners any longer, but he still knew that after coming back from a new case that Bobby would want a snack. At least he always used to. He supposed that people could change. He had changed. Hadn't he? Or had he always been like he is now? Of course, all there was was now. If now was all there was, then could he ever have been something else? He didn't realize that his brow was furrowed until he heard Bobby asking, "Hey, you alright?"

Charlie looked up at Bobby. He smiled. "I was looking for you."

"Well, you found me."

"Actually, _you_ found _me_."

Bobby shifted from foot to foot, not entirely sure where this conversation was headed, but absolutely certain that he didn't want to figure that out. He cleared his throat. "I, uh…was gonna grab a drink and some chips. You want somethin'?"

"I've got something better than chips," Charlie said with what Bobby thought of as "New Charlie's Zen Smile". The red-head pulled an apricot out of his suit pocket and bit into it, following Bobby to the vending machines.

"So, Bobby, about Reese..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Charlie. Actually," he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "I didn't think you had it in you, man, but I gotta tell ya, I'd be hittin' that too," he chuckled.

Crews shook his head, looking mildly annoyed. "No, I mean it's been really hard for Reese, you know, being a woman and all, on the force. She's had to fight for every inch of respect and this kind of thing getting around would certainly make things worse for her. She doesn't need that."

Bobby nodded his head and gave Crews a stage-wink. "Okay, sure, Charlie. Whatever you say. I won't say anything, don't worry. You gotta understand though that I live vicariously through you, being married and all, and if my partner looked like that, I'd have busted a move long ago. So seriously man, is she, like, totally wild in the sack?"

Neither of the men noticed Captain Tidwell getting ready to enter the elevator behind them. He had just stepped onto the car when Bobby asked Charlie about Dani being wild in the sack. He let the elevator doors slide closed with a promise to himself to pay closer attention to his two lead detectives. This was certainly important enough to warrant his attention, but not so important that he should keep Daisy waiting. As the doors slid closed he saw Reese walk by, heading towards the vending machines.

"Bobby – really, Reese doesn't want people thinking that we're sleeping together."

"I know, I know and I won't say anything."

Neither man noticed the petite woman just around the corner of the vending machines.

"You gotta tell me, Charlie, cause I've looked at those lips of her, tell me she gives great head. Seriously."

Bobby watched Charlie raise himself up to his full six feet one inch and saw the look on his face change from mild irritation, which Bobby took to mean the affair was still new and he was kind of sweet on her, to a hardness which he could only imagine was learned in prison.

"You will not speak of her like that again, Bobby, do you understand?" His voice was low and there was no question as to the authority and threat behind them.

Officer Stark's eyes were wide as he nodded his head. "Yeah, sorry, got it."

"Detective Reese is an officer for the LAPD and as such she deserves your respect. Moreover, she is a lady, and as such she deserves your respect. And finally, I am not, as you put it, hitting that."

"Got it."

Charlie nodded his head slowly as if assessing whether or not Stark understood the message and finally relaxed a bit. He took a final bite of his apricot and turned around to toss the pit in the garbage can, coming face to face with Dani Reese.

He had, of course, heard the phrase if looks could kill and knew what the phrase meant. He had just never seen it in practice, despite having survived 12 years in a prison. He was actually afraid for Bobby.

She lifted her chin a couple of inches, "Tell me she gives great head?" she parroted, anger radiating off of her.

She took a step forward before being spun around and marched towards the elevators by her partner.

"I got it, Reese, let's go." Crews shot a look over his shoulder at Bobby, who looked to the entire world as if he'd just seen a ghost, conveying with his eyes, "See what you did."

Charlie managed to get Reese into the elevator and pushed the button for the parking lot.

"Don't be too hard on him, he didn't mean anything by it, and I talked to him. And after you catching him like that I'm sure he's going to be sleeping with one eye open for a while."

"Good."

The rode the elevator in silence. Just as the doors slid open Reese turned and pointed a finger towards him. "You're not totally off the hook, you know?"

"I know. Let me make it up to you."

She looked at him and said, "Like that's possible," as she stepped out of the elevator.

He followed behind her, "Let me at least buy you dinner. We've still got a lot to do on this Kitty Kat Killer and I know I'm starved, so what do you say? Let me buy you dinner and we'll work for while longer. I want to," he squinted his eyes as pulled his hand up so that it looked like a gun and let the hammer fall, "_bang_ - get this guy before he kills again. Hmm?"

She agreed that working would be a good idea.

"_And the dumb ass owes you at least dinner."_

She nodded her head.

Captain Tidwell had stopped off in the men's locker room and was consequently coming up behind the two detectives in the parking garage. What he heard was taken as something completely different.

"Okay, Reese, sky's the limit. What do you want for dinner tonight, and your place or mine?"

"As long as it's more substantial than fruit I don't care and yours, remember Sweet Pea? I'll follow you over – I want to get banging as soon as possible."

Crews nodded, "Me too."

Tidwell's eyes got bigger. _"Sweet Pea?" _

_----------_

Charlie pulled into the garage at his house. Dani pulled up to the front of the house and after a moment's hesitation walked into the still open garage. Charlie was waiting for her, holding the door that led in to the house open.

They walked into the kitchen and found a note in a bowl of fruit on the counter, "Out for the night."

Charlie opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of take-out menus and flipped through them. He paused when he found a simple blue square of paper with (310) 657- 5040 written on it, nothing more. He smiled and picked up the phone.

It was quiet enough in the enormous house that Reese could clearly make out the voice on the other side, "Nirvana."

"Hi, I have an order for delivery."

"Perhaps you have called the wrong number. This is Nirvana, we do not deliver."

"I know. This is Charlie Crews."

"Forgive me, sir. Would you like your usual?"

Charlie glanced over at Dani and smiled, looking a little embarrassed, but a little smug too. "Yes, but I'd like to add a couple of items as well. We'd like the Murgh Mussalam, Safed Maans, and of course, the Mango Kulfi."

"Of course, sir. Thank you."

He hung up the phone and smiled at her. "It'll be here in about an hour and a half. Takes a while, plus the drive."

"Uh-huh. Where's Nirvana?"

"Any place of complete bliss."

Dani raised an eyebrow.

"Beverly Hills."

She nodded and looked around the kitchen.

"Hey, you want a tour?"

She looked back at him, "Sure." She was not sure why she felt like a teenager about to be caught doing something wrong, but she could not seem to shake the feeling. A tour of the house would be a nice distraction.

She tried her best to keep it all straight, but the house just went on and on. There were so many hallways and rooms. She was certain that she could easily get lost in his house. It struck her again that if she had his money, she sure wouldn't be doing what she was. It also struck her that all of the doors in the entire house were open.

They entered Charlie's bedroom. It surprised her to find that his room was neatly kept, his bed made. There weren't many bachelors that kept their houses this clean. Then again, she supposed that he probably had a maid. On the other hand, he had lived in a very small space for a very long time. He must have had to learn how to keep things neat. As she turned to look around the room she noticed that there was a closed door. She looked to her left and saw an open door, which upon further inspection she discovered led to his bathroom. Also neat and tidy. The toilet seat and lid were even down! He has to have a maid. The bathtub was big enough to go swimming in.

She looked back to the closed door and walked towards it, her curiosity taking over her sense of propriety.

He watched her, his face a careful mask of indifference. "It's locked," he said simply.

She smiled, absolutely intrigued now. "But you have the key."

His face didn't change but he crossed his arms over his chest in an unconciousl gesture. The tone of his voice told her there would be no further discussion when he repeated, "It's locked."

Reese nodded her head and let the subject drop, following him back out of the room to continue on with the tour.

She wasn't sure how exactly they wound up back in the garage, but there they were, standing in his garage, listening to his engine tick as it cooled. She was reeling from the vastness of his house, and he absolutely needed a couch, or ten. He was looking at boxes that lined one wall.

He walked over to the stacks of boxes and picked up two rather heavy looking ones, bringing them back over to her. She had no doubt of their weight when they thudded to the floor by her feet. She looked down as he opened the top box, only to find it filled with Kitty Kat magazines.

She shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything he asked, "Why those two?"

Dani cocked her head to the side and looked back at him, echoing his thought as he tried to figure it out for herself, "Why those two?"

She grabbed one of the boxes and headed into the kitchen. They moved the bowl of fruit from the island in the kitchen and started spreading the magazines out. They opened each one to the centerfold.

Before long every magazine, all 144, are opened up to the centerfold and spread out along the kitchen counters and the island. They have the victims' magazines set aside on the stove. Dani and Charlie both looked at them and read the profiles; they couldn't find anything that tied both girls together. They were in the process of looking for any other Kitten's that had the same anything as the two victims. They needed to start compiling information somewhere and this, at least, was a great place to start.

Dani was getting very hungry by this point and she walked around the island to the refrigerator. As she rounding the corner of the island she noted that Charlie moved in the opposite direction from her. It wasn't until her mind was thinking of something other than all the naked women in front of her that she realized that he had been doing that for a while. Every time she made a move he would make the opposite.

She was going to ask him what was going on when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch. They had been at this for over an hour. Now that she was looking up she realized her neck was pretty sore.

"Finally, I'm starving, Crews!"

He smiled and pulled his wallet out, holding out three hundred dollars. "It'll be worth the wait."

She looked at the money as though she'd never seen it before. He gave her a look of exasperation and waved it towards her as the doorbell rang again. "Reese."

She grabbed the money and headed towards the front doors, "Fine, but I'm tipping the driver a lot."

Charlie nodded and took a deep breath as she left the kitchen.

She came back with a large box of food. "Where do you want it?"

"Just put it on the table and dig in. I'll be there in a minute."

"The case will wait, Crews, come on, let's eat, it smells amazing."

"I'll be right there."

"Are you kidding me?" She went into the dining room and put the large box on the table. Her manners got the better of her, even as she took a deep breath, inhaling the amazing smells. _"He just spent the same amount as your car payment on dinner. Do not eat without him,"_ she told herself.

She walked back into the kitchen.

"You're not even still working, you're eyes are closed, come on. You must be hungry. I know you, you always want to eat, let's go eat."

"Not now, Reese. I'll be there in a minute, you go on ahead."

"Okay, Crews, spill. What's going on?"

His face turned a deep pink as he threw his head back and closed his eyes.

"Seriously, what the hell?"

"Reese, I've spent the last twelve years in prison."

"And….what? You can't eat?"

She didn't think it possible but he got even redder. She walked towards him only to have him round the corner of the island again, keeping her on the other side. She narrowed her eyes.

"Crews, for God's sake, what's the problem?"

"Reese," he said through clenched teeth, "you're really not being a very good detective. Think it through. I'm a man. Who was in prison for twelve years. I've been looking through hundreds of pictures of porn for over an hour. I. Don't. Want. To. Move. I want _you_ to go ahead _without_ me."

Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment longer and then shot straight up as her eyes got very round. "Ohmygod!" she hissed. She looked at him again. He was leaning over island, head in his hands.

"I can't help it," he said pitifully.

At that moment Dani Reese had a Zen epiphany. It simply was what it was. She said, "I'm going to go ahead and go eat, you can join me later."

He just nodded his head and watched her leave. He groaned quietly to himself and tried desperately to will his erection away but over an hour of looking at porn was not easily willed away. Sure he had been with a few women since he'd been out, but that had been a while ago and human nature was human nature, and right now human nature was telling him it was go time.

Dani, for her part, helped herself to some of the food and in-between bites called back to her partner. "Crews, I don't think I told you the whole story about Sweet Pea."

Charlie looked towards the dining room. She was giving him something else to focus on. Bless her, he could kiss her. _"No, bad thought, don't go there."_ He forced himself to think of nothing but what she was talking about.

"So my cousin travels a lot for work and needed someone to watch her new puppy. I didn't really like the idea but my dad kind of pushed the issue."

She stopped talking to take a bite of something that she couldn't quite identify, she thought it was chicken but really wasn't sure.

"Wow. You were right, Crews, this was totally worth the wait. Anyway so I agreed to let Sweet Pea stay for the weekend…"

TBC

Another Author's Note: Please review. Seriously. Let me know what you like and what you don't. I'll work on incorporating what you're interested in. It can't possibly hurt or be painful to review. I promise.


	4. Chapter 4 Care For A Dip

_Author's Note: As always, first and foremost, my thanks go to Cap Streeter, an awesome beta, a truly amazingly brilliant and gifted writer, and a good friend. (Five commas in that sentence CS!!! Wow!) Any and all errors belong solely to me. You have no idea what she's saved you from having to endure – Thank her when you get the chance. LOL. If you haven't read Seven or Paper, stop what you're doing now and go read. Seriously. It's fanfreakingtastic. _

_Thanks for reading, everyone. This is what's going to have to keep us going until USA picks up Life. (I have hope.) _

_Enjoy!_

_This one's for you, Kierz._

_Previously in the Kitty Kat Killer:_

"Reese," he said through clenched teeth, "you're really not being a very good detective. Think it through. I'm a man. Who was in prison for twelve years. I've been looking through hundreds of pictures of porn for over an hour. I. Don't. Want. To. Move. I want _you_ to go ahead _without_ me."

Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment longer and then shot straight up as her eyes got very round. "Ohmygod!" she hissed. She looked at him again. He was leaning over the island, head in his hands.

"I can't help it," he said pitifully.

At that moment Dani Reese had a Zen epiphany. It simply was what it was. She said, "I'm going to go ahead and go eat, you can join me later."

He just nodded his head and watched her leave. He groaned quietly to himself and tried desperately to will his erection away but over an hour of looking at porn was not easily willed away. Sure he had been with a few women since he'd been out, but that had been a while ago and human nature was human nature, and right now human nature was telling him it was go time.

Dani, for her part, helped herself to some of the food and in-between bites called back to her partner. "Crews, I don't think I told you the whole story about Sweet Pea."

Charlie looked towards the dining room. She was giving him something else to focus on. Bless her, he could kiss her. No, bad thought, don't go there. He forced himself to think of nothing but what she was talking about.

"So my cousin travels a lot for work and needed someone to watch her new puppy. I didn't really like the idea but my dad kind of pushed the issue."

She stopped talking to take a bite of something that she couldn't quite identify, she thought it was chicken but really wasn't sure.

"Wow. You were right, Crews, this was totally worth the wait. Anyway…"

*********

Charlie listened to Dani tell him about her cousin, her father's brother's daughter. Apparently she was quite spoiled. A favorite of Uncle Jack's. He focused on the underlying anger in Dani's voice. He recognized it. He recognized the anger that she tried to hide from even herself. It seeped through, in little ways. The "of course" when she was telling him that her father took Sharon's side instead of hers. He doubted that she even realized she had said it.

It was the focusing on the story, the anger issues with her father and the underlying commonality between the two of them that eventually got Charlie's mind spinning enough that made his uncomfortable situation ease.

He walked into the dining room and sat down next to his partner.

She smiled at him. "We good now?"

He nodded his head, and gave her an enigmatic smile, "We're good now."

They ate the rest of their dinner while he probed her with further questions about what would forever be referred to in his mind as The Sweet Pea Incident. Capitalization included.

They moved from the dining room back to the kitchen when they were finished eating.

After taking a long look around, they took a deep sigh and looked at each other.

Charlie cleared his throat, "Uh, I have furniture outside by the pool. You wanna sit down and go over what we know?"

She nodded her head. Jesus yes, that sounded like a great idea to her.

She followed him outside and sat down in one of the chaise lounge chairs. He sat in the one opposite from her.

"Okay, what do we know?"

Dani looked at the pool longingly. "We know that…Jeanna was from Fresno."

Charlie finished, "Tiffany was from Portland, Oregon."

He took his shoes off and set them under his chair, laying his socks on top of them.

"Jeanna liked camping and bird watching."

Dani looked at her shoes and then over at Charlie's feet. His toes were wiggling. She looked back at the water as he said, "Tiffany liked sports, especially football and soccer, and used to be a cheerleader."

"Jeanna went to a private all-girl high school, probably didn't have cheerleaders at St. Mary's."

Charlie nodded and took his tie off, laying it on the table between the two of them.

"Jeanna was white," Dani reached down and untied the laces of her boots.

Charlie's lips twitched before he schooled his features and added, "Tiffany was black."

Dani slipped her shoes and socks off and stood. She closed her eyes as her feet soaked up the last of the warmth from the sun soaked cement.

"These girls had nothing in common. Jeanna's birthday was in March and Tiffany's was in November."

Charlie took his coat jacket off and laid it on the chair next to him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looked up at his partner, a definite challenge in his eyes.

Dani unbuttoned her shirt while looking at Crews. She took it off, laying it on the chair she had been sitting in and straightened her tank top. "You say one word and I'm leaving."

He gave her a half-smile and watched her start to pace.

"The only thing they seem to have in common is that they both posed for Kitty Kat, so does that mean that all the Kittens are in danger?" he asked.

She paused and looked at him, then began pacing again.

He took a deep breath in, which caused her to stop pacing and turned to look at him. She locked eyes with him and raised her chin up a notch.

"Reese-"

"No. Not a word."

He took another breath and raised his eyebrows. "We're gonna have to talk about it sooner or later, you know? This isn't one we can not talk about."

"Crews….just," she rubbed her hands over her face. "It was so long ago."

He nodded. "I know, but-"

"No. We are _not_ going to talk about this now."

He didn't say anything, just looked at her. Stared her down was more accurate. He stood up and took a step towards her. He reached out for her arm only to have her take a step back rather quickly.

"Don't."

He had never seen her look more closed off to him. Not the first time he met her, not after he helped her in the shower, not even after she was so mad at him for believing in Jake Turner's innocence. Never.

"I'd better go now, Crews-"

"Reese-"

"It's getting late. Thanks for dinner," she moved to walk past him only to have him block her path.

She looked defiantly at him. "We're never going to talk about this, let it go and let me go. Or I _will_ shoot you."

"We are going to talk about it before you leave, I'm not letting it go, and I'm not letting _you_ go until we do talk about it and besides – your gun's still on the counter in the kitchen so you can't shoot me."

Charlie learned a lot in prison. He learned how to read people. He learned what earthquake weather meant. He'd been out for a while, but those were lessons learned the hard way, and one didn't easily forget lessons learned the hard way.

He grabbed her hand as it went flying towards his face, which only served to piss his partner off more.

"Goddammit, Crews, let go of me!"

"No!" he shouted back.

She looked surprised. He guessed maybe she didn't expect for him to shout at her. He was usually pretty well reserved. He tended to do things the quiet way. He got under someone's skin. Maybe this was what she needed. Maybe he needed to shake her up a bit by going against what he usually did. With that in mind, Charlie Crews shoved his partner backwards. As she lost her balance and went flying down, she managed to grab onto his hands and pull him down into the pool with her.

They broke the surface of the water and Dani took a huge gulp of air.

She was silent, stunned by what he had done. She turned to look at him, treading water a couple of feet from her. Eyes huge, she asked, "Did you seriously just push me into your pool? I'm dreaming, right?"

He responded by splashing water in her face.

She blinked the water away, and much to his relief started laughing.

He hadn't thought it through completely before he actually pushed, much like he didn't often think through what he was saying before he was actually saying it. Now, however, he was thinking it through, and was pretty sure that she was going to exact some terrible revenge. But then she laughed. It was okay after all.

She laughed even harder at the smile on his face even pointed a finger at him before returning it to the water and continuing to tread. "I can't believe you. I really am going to shoot you," she laughed.

His smile sort of froze in place as he realized that she was laughing, but the look in her eyes was not jolly. Not jolly at all.

_Shit._ She had started making her way back over to the side of the pool. _Shit,_ he thought again. _She really is going to shoot me._

He quickly swam over to where she was pulling herself up out of the pool and grabbed her waist, pulling her back down into the water. She fell back against him and he snaked his arm around her waist holding her there. She quickly stilled her movements and went limp in his arms.

"Reese? I can't let you out to go get your gun and shoot me, but if I keep holding you you're going to kill me some other way, so how 'bout you promise not to shoot me and I'll let you go, hm?"

She didn't move and didn't say anything. She just floated in the water limply, her back against his chest.

"Reese?"

She relaxed her neck and let her head fall back onto his shoulder looking up him. She looked utterly and completely defeated. She was scaring him now. Pissed off Dani he could deal with, Grumpy Dani he could deal with, Freaked Out Dani he could deal with. Hopeless and Lost Dani scared the hell out of him.

"Reese?" He moved them over to the steps leading out of the pool and walked her over to the chaise. He tried to get her to sit down but she refused all of his attempts.

"Reese, you need to sit down. You're really kinda freaking me out here."

She finally looked up at him and blinked. She looked down at herself and shook her head in disbelief. She reached back and grabbed her hair, bringing it over her shoulder to wring it out. She then took her tank top off and unbuttoned her pants.

Crews took a step back.

She removed her pants and let them remain pooled on the ground by her feet. She sat down heavily on the chaise and looked up at him.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" she asked tiredly.

"Well, it's not exactly the kind of thing you bring up when you first meet someone and then after you made it clear that you really weren't much of a talker. I figured it would just piss you off. It seemed easier to pretend I didn't know."

"Have you looked at them again since then?"

He looked down at his feet and she just nodded her head.

"Hasn't anyone ever said anything to you about it?" he asked .

She shook her head. "It wasn't a normal issue. Kitty Kat College Girls doesn't sell as well the regular issue and as I'm sure you know, that year there were two other special issues that sold that same month as well as the regular magazine. And I wasn't a centerfold."

"You should have been."

She looked up sharply at him. "What did you just say?"

"What?" He moved to straighten his tie and realized that not only was he not wearing it, he was dripping still.

He took another couple of steps back. "Umm, let me go get you a towel. I'll be right back." He took his shirt and pants off quickly, leaving him only in soaking wet boxer briefs. She couldn't help the smile that formed as she watched him walk inside, tiny pineapples covering his ass.

TBC

Please review. I write faster with reviews…hehe. Charlie Crews would want you to review. It's a Zen thing. To review. Totally Zen. Okay, I just made that up, but wasn't it a pathetic enough attempt to get you to review that you want to now, just out of pity? ;)


	5. Chapter 5 Never Have I Ever

Chapter Five – Never Have I Ever

She sat on the chaise by the pool, wearing only her soaking wet bra and panties. She waited for him to return, shivering in the mild breeze. She wasn't sure what was taking him so long, only that knowing Crews, it could be any number of things.

The wind blew a little harder this time causing her to truly shiver. She stood up and walked over to the sliding glass door, poking her head inside. "Crews!?"

No answer.

She turned back around, deciding that there was no need for her to be standing there in wet clothes. Granted, she wasn't wearing much in the way of clothes. She walked back toward the chaise and spied Charlie's jacket, lying exactly where he had left it when they'd come out after dinner. It was still dry.

She reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting it slip from her shoulders. She briefly considered grabbing his jacket and running behind the potted palms before telling herself that he'd already seen her naked, why bother. She slipped her panties off next and took a couple of steps to pick up the jacket.

She leaned over and reached out to pick it up when she was suddenly enveloped in incredible warmth. She felt strong arms holding the enormous towel around her. It was so warm! After being slightly chilled, the sudden warmth caused her to shiver again.

Crews felt her shiver and moved closer, changing from simply holding the towel around her, to holding her.

"Sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I thought you'd like it warmed, so I waited for the towel rack to warm up. I should have just brought it sooner."

"No, it's good. I like it…." she paused for a moment, "How in the hell do you heat up your towel rack?"

She felt him shrug behind her, and then she felt the rumble in his chest where it touched her back as he explained.

"The towel racks in the bathrooms have a coil that runs inside of them, heating them up. You hang the towels on the rack but instead of just one bar, it's a series of bars that touch the towels. That's what makes them warm. But it doesn't let them get too hot. It's got a safety fuse so that if it gets up to 200 degrees, it automatically shuts off. Otherwise you could set your house on fire. It came with the house."

He stopped talking and rubbing her arms at the same time. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm talking to much again."

She had grasped the towel from the inside, holding it around her like a blanket. God knew it was big enough to be a blanket.

"Where did you find a towel this big?"

"Kohl's."

She waited for him to go into further detail about the size or cotton count, when he didn't she turned to face him.

She couldn't stop herself from taking in the sight of him. His hair was a mess, obviously having been toweled off and not combed. He had stubble along his jaw. His shoulders were wider than they looked in a tee shirt and certainly wider than they looked in his expensive suits. The red hair that graced his chest was fluffy and dry. The left side of his torso had three deep scars, one that wrapped around further than she could see.

Her eyes followed the lines of his body down his stomach. More red hair.

She didn't realize that her tongue had slipped out to wet her lips. Charlie Crews, however, was very aware of her tongue. He adjusted the waistband of the sweats he was wearing and watched Dani's eyes continue to drop lower, until they rested on the bulge beginning to form under his pants.

"Charlie," she whispered with a very slight smile as she took a step closer to him.

"Let's go inside," he said, his voice cracking on the first word. He scrunched his face up for a moment. "I've got some clothes you can wear until your are dry. I laid them out on my bed. I'll be in right after I wring these out," he said, indicating their wet clothes.

She smirked to herself and walked inside, making her way up the stairs and into Charlie's room. Laid out on his bed were a pair of white boxer shorts with yellow dancing banana's on them, a faded green tee shirt, a pair of gray drawstring seat pants like he was wearing, one of his nice work shirts, a pullover LAPD sweatshirt, and a blue zip-up hoodie sweatshirt. She smiled as she realized that he was trying to give her a choice, limited though it may be.

She quickly toweled off and then gave her hair a more thorough drying. She didn't want to leave the wet towel on the hard wood floor so she walked into the bathroom and hung it on the towel rack. She could still feel the heat coming off it. Under her breath she whispered, "Super cool."

Dani walked back into the bedroom and picked up the tee shirt, quickly pulling it over her head. It smelled like Crews. She wasn't sure what cologne he wore, but she secretly loved the scent. Not overbearing at all. It was one of those smells that made her want to lean in closer and take a deeper breath. Not that she'd tell him that, of course.

She picked up the sweat pants. Even though the shirt hung down farther than some of her shorts did, it just didn't seem right to be walking around in her partner's house in only his tee shirt. She held the sweats up against her. They were ridiculously long. Oh well, they were drawstrings so they wouldn't fall down and they had elastic at the ankles. She lifted her right leg and stepped into the sweats. She went to put her other leg in but lost her balance as vast amounts of fabric refused to cooperative with her.

She didn't quite fall on top of the bed, and she didn't quite miss the bed completely. Instead she fell chest first against the side of the bed, pushing the mattress out of its position.

"FUCK!"

She turned her back to the bed and rubbed the spot just below her left collarbone that had hit the box spring as the mattress slid. She growled quietly to herself as Crews came running into the room.

He looked at the bed and got a panicked look in his eyes.

"Reese, I can explain!" His eyes huge, she was almost amused. There was something confusing about his reaction though that tickled the back of her mind.

"Don't come in any further, Crews." She was about to explain that she was sitting in a very unlady-like position when he cut her off.

"Reese – Dani. I know it looks bad, but…well, just let me explain."

"What?" her expression of bewilderment finally registered and he snapped his mouth shut.

"Just…hang on a second. Let me finish getting dressed." She pulled the sweats on quickly while still sitting on the floor. She turned to the bed and reached for it for some leverage to help her hoist herself up when a piece of paper caught her eye. She reached over and pulled gently until she could get a better grip and then pulled out a magazine from under Charlie's mattress. She didn't have to flip to the cover to know it was Kitty Kat College Girls. Her face was staring back at her.

Her jaw dropped and the breath rushed out of her in a whoosh. From what sounded very far away she heard a soft, "Shit."

She looked at the picture of herself. She was wearing a cheerleader skirt. That was all. She was in a dorm room, on a bed under a UCLA pennant flag, laying slightly leaned to her left side, her legs spread so that everything was visible, her right index finger in her mouth. The head of another girl was resting on her thigh, her tongue licking her inner thigh.

She looked back at Crews. He looked down, took a deep breath and then raised his head up to look at her. For brief, all too fleeting moment, they lock eyes and she saw so much. He said so much to her, all in the space of a single moment. All without words.

I'm sorry; I don't want to embarrass you. I'm not sorry; I really like the picture. Please don't be mad at me. You shouldn't be ashamed. You're so fucking hot. I don't care if you're mad at me. I do care, please don't be mad.

He looked away again and when he looked back his walls were once again firmly in place, and he was a mystery to her once again.

He braced himself. Charlie took a step into his bedroom, widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest.

She looked down at the picture again and then slipped it back under his mattress. She pulled the mattress back into place and stood up then looked her partner squarely in the eyes and announced, "I need a drink."

"Reese—"

She held her hand up. "Don't you dare. You have alcohol, I need a drink. There's time to start again tomorrow. Tonight though…" she left the sentence unfinished.

"I can't let you do that," he said.

"Fine. I'll go to a bar, and then I'll get what I really want."

He took a deep breath. "Breathe," he told himself. If she was here with him, she was safe. He'd let her have a drink, he'd be able to monitor how much she drank and keep her from picking up some random guy, possibly the killer, and then tomorrow she wouldn't be able to lie about drinking and he could persuade her to go to a meeting."

"Fine, but then we talk."

She walked past him and started down the hallway towards the stairs. He quickly caught up to her and walked downstairs with her. They entered the kitchen and he opened the refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of beer.

She laughed. "Oh, I think you can do better than that, Crews."

She started opening cabinets until she found what she was looking for, taking out two tumblers. She then continued looking through cabinets until she found his liquor collection. She pulled out a 1937 Glenfidditch. She raised her eyebrows in a question.

Crews simply shrugged.

She poured them each a full tumbler, glancing up to give him a defiant look.

"Don't you think that's a lot?" he asked.

"Nope."

She reached for one of the glasses only to feel an iron grip on her hand.

"It's a lot."

She leveled her best don't-fuck-with-me glare at him. He didn't so much as bat an eyelash. Until he saw her expression change. She got a devilish gleam in her eye.

"You wanna talk?" she asked. "Fine. But you gotta play. Never Have I Ever is the name of the game, ladies and gentlemen."

At his confused expression she launched into an explanation. "Goes like this. You say Never Have I Ever and then say something you've never done. If I've never done it, I don't drink. If you've really never done it, you don't drink. But if either of us has ever done it, then that person drinks. We take turns. Brutal honesty. You get to ask me questions, I get to drink. Win-win."

"Now who's acting like they're twelve?"

"Oh, I see. Afraid I'll ask something you don't want to talk about, Crews?" she taunted.

He rolled his eyes.

"Pussy," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

He shook his head. She was with him, he reminded himself. This was as safe as she could get. And maybe he'd get some answers. To more than just the magazine shoot.

"Fine," he said, then mumbled "Brat".

"I heard that."

"I said it out loud."

She paused a moment before laughing.

"Okay, let's go." She picked up her glass and the bottle and walked over to the stairs. She sat down on the bottom step and turned so that her back was against the wall. She patted the space across from her. He sat down on the next higher step, his back against the railing.

"Go ahead. You start us out since it's your game."

"Okay," she held her glass out. "Never Have I Ever …" she paused. How should she play this? Get a drink immediately or bide her time and get him drunk enough so that she could drink in peace? She needed to ease him into it though, lest he catch on to her plan.

"Never Have I Ever been married."

He looked at her, puzzled. Starting out easy, hmm. He hadn't expected that. He took a sip. Oh yeah, it was worth $20,000 a bottle. Smooth and sweet.

She smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard. Your turn."

He thought for a moment. What could he ask that would keep her here _and_ keep her from drinking? "Never Have I Ever …" He'd have to really share something with her to keep her here even though she wasn't drinking. "Never Have I Ever been dropped divorce paper in the mail from someone who vowed to always stick by me." She didn't drink, but didn't look like she was on to him either. They stared at each other for a moment before she said; "Now you drink again." He took a larger sip from his glass this time. "Your turn."

"Never Have I Ever pushed someone into a pool to keep them from leaving." She smiled at him as he raised his glass in toast to her before sipping.

He knew he was going to have to let her drink. He didn't drink often enough or hard enough to keep this up and keep her here and interested. She'd probably get him wasted and then get herself wasted. Or worse, get him wasted and then leave to get wasted. At this point he had to choose the lesser of two evils. Maybe if he got her hammered fast enough he could get her to insist she stay the night here. Here she'd be safe. Hell, he'd even lock the door.

"Never Have I Ever posed nude for a magazine."

She glared at him. He waited but she still didn't drink.

"What?" He asked. "Aren't you supposed to drink now?"

"I wasn't nude, and you know it."

"Oh, the skirt. Well, I meant, you know, like you were."

"Only that isn't what you said. And now your turn's over."

"But it's what I meant."

She shook her head. "That's not how the game is played. My turn. Never Have I Ever kept a picture of my partner under my mattress for God knows what reasons." She gave him her sweetest fake smile and watched his eyes narrow before he drank.

Fine, he thought. If she wanted to make him uncomfortable, so be it.

"Guess I'm the only one getting to do all the drinking tonight. My turn, and I'll be specific."

He knew he shouldn't. He knew it wouldn't end well. He knew it would only piss her off, but frankly he was just a little past that point. And really, they may as well acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"Never Have I Ever made myself come while thinking about my current partner."

He lifted his glass and took a long drink, choking when he heard her joyfully announce, "Finally!" and take a drink of her own.

"What!?" he rasped, still choking a bit, stunned.

"Nope. If you've got questions, they must be asked within the confines of the game." She grinned at him. "This is really good, by the way."

He didn't say anything, just stared at her as if he'd never seen her before.

She grinned and held up her glass again, she didn't care anymore about good strategy. The whiskey was incredibly good and she just wanted more. Especially with Crews looking at her like that.

"Never Have I Ever done illegal drugs." She lifted her glass and took and two large gulps, emptying the glass.

Charlie smirked and lifted his glass taking another drink.

"Bullshit."

"Nope. If you've got questions, they must be asked within the confines of the game," he quoted back to her.

He watched her pour herself another glass and then lean her head back against he wall. She looked up at him and then held her hands up in a "T".

"Time-out."

"Time-out?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I don't like you being so much higher." She got up and stepped carefully between his outstretched legs, repositioning herself on the next higher step.

"You really do need a couch, Crews."

She shifted herself so that she was learning against the wall again, facing Crews, only level with him this time. She lifted her foot only to have him grab her ankle and rest her foot in his lap. He set his glass on the step above her and began massaging her foot.

Part of her wanted to pull her foot back, but it felt so incredibly good.

"What are you….are you….are you _touching_ me?"

"Are you complaining?" he countered.

"I…" she paused. As long as he was doing this he was never going to take his turn, and she was never going to get another drink. "…uh, time-in."

He didn't bother trying to hide his snicker.

"Okay. If you're sure…" he left the statement hanging in the air like a question, a look of expectant anticipation on his face as his hands stilled, though never quite let go of her tiny foot.

Dani swallowed and licked her suddenly dry lips.

"I'm sure."

"Okay." He lifted her foot and placed it gently on the step above him, then reached across her and picked up his glass. He held it out in front of her and motioned towards the bottle with it. "Fill it up."

He watched her intently as she filled the glass and never took his eyes off of hers as he lifted the glass to his lips and drained the entire contents. She watched him without saying a word, refilling his glass when he held it in front of her again.

"Never Have I Ever been so afraid of having an honest conversation with someone that I needed to hide behind a drinking game to bolster my courage."

She didn't move a muscle, just stared at him for a moment while she tried to shake off the verbal slap in the face.

"Fuck you, Crews."

"Not until we have that talk first."

She shook her head in disbelief and then emptied her glass.

"Fine. Let's have it. Ask away. Anything you wanna know. But you _will_ answer my question as well. You got it, Detective?"

He gave her an appraising look, trying to decide if he had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed. Or simply pushed her enough to get her to open up. "Got it."

She shifted again. "Alright. But I'm not having this conversation on the stairs."

"Okay, where do you want to have it?"

"What are my options?"

"You've been on the tour. You know full well what your options are."

She stood up and walked down two steps then paused. She turned around as

Crews shifted to get up. He had turned to follow her, swinging his long legs down to the bottom of the stairs and sat facing her. He leaned back on his elbows, tilting his head up to look at her.

Dani stepped closer and then sat down straddling his lap. He sat completely still, his heart racing in his chest.

She leaned forward until their faces were almost touching and whispered, "You and I both know where we're going to end up, and why. We both want it. We both need it. We may as well start with it."

He shifted his weight and lifted his elbows, bringing his hands forward to grasp her waist. He allowed his hands to hold her, feel her. He slid his hands down to grasp her hips and pull her against him, letting her get a good feel of just how hard he was.

She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt his erection through the sweats. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his as she rocked her hips, grinding herself against his erection, delighting in the hiss he made.

His hands tightened their grip on her hips and he pushed her back, stilling her movements. "Yeah, we both want it, but we're going to have that talk first."

She growled in frustration and leaned slightly back. "Oh my God. What? What do you want to know? Yes, I posed for a girly mag. No, I don't think I'm in any danger. Yes, I was addicted to drugs and because of that I got jammed up at work. Yes, I went to rehab. Yes, I still occasionally drink but no, I haven't slipped up with the drugs. Yes, I pick up men at bars and fuck them when I need some release, and yes, I always use protection. Yes, I have been with women. Yes, I've had a threesie and no, you can't watch me do it again. Yes, my father's the bastard to end all bastards and no, I don't really know if he had anything to do with you going to prison. Yes, if I could change it all for you I would, and no, if I could change it all for me, I wouldn't. It's what made me who I am today, and while I am deeply and seriously flawed, no, I still wouldn't change it. Is that everything? Now can we please stop talking and start fucking?"

He studied her for a moment, trying to absorb everything she had said.

She took advantage of the opportunity his silence presented and quickly took the shirt she was wearing off, tossing it behind her, leaning closer to him, letting her nipples brush up against his chest.

She felt his fingers dig into her hip, sliding her forward in his lap. He pressed his hardened cock against her center, rocking his hips forward as he moved a hand to her back, pulling her closer to him, crushing her breasts against his chest. God, she was warm! He trailed his other hand up her back as she began rocking her hips in time with him. He slipped his hand under her hair, holding the back of her neck.

"We _will_ finish this conversation. Promise me that much."

She tilted her head forward and let her tongue reach out to taste his lower lip, only to have him pull his head back.

"No. Promise me. We only do this on two conditions."

She ground herself against his cock again, letting herself moan out loud at waves of pleasure that were building in her.

"Mmm, what conditions?"

"One, you promise me that we'll finish this conversation tonight."

She rocked her hips against him again and leaded back enough to be able to cup her breasts in her hands, squeezing them and rubbing her thumbs over her tight nipples.

"Done. I promise."

She felt him push himself against her, meeting each rock of her hips. His eyes were focused on her hands.

"And two, Crews?"

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. She momentarily lost her rhythm when she saw the unguarded vulnerability in his eyes.

"Two," he stilled his movements completely, "you stay the night here. With me. In my bed."

She put her hands on either side of his face, holding him so he was focused on her, keeping her eyes locked on his. She leaned forward until her lips were barely brushing his. "Okay," she kissed him very softly and then pulled away.

"Three," she said. "We don't bring this up again. None of it. We'll have all night tonight and I'll stay, but then it's back to reality. Deal?"

He leaned forward, capturing her lips with his. He held her to him with his hand on her neck as he deepened the kiss. The mixture of Glennfiditch and lack of oxygen made him dizzy enough to break off the kiss and take in a deep lungful of air.

"Deal," he whispered, still slightly breathless, even as he knew he was selling a little piece of his soul.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6 Need

_Previously in the Kitty Kat Killer_

"_Three," she said. "We don't bring this up again. None of it. We'll have all night tonight and I'll stay, but then it's back to reality. Deal?"_

_He leaned forward, capturing her lips with his. He held her to him with his hand on her neck as he deepened the kiss. The mixture of Glennfiditch and lack of oxygen made him dizzy enough to break off the kiss and take in a deep lungful of air._

"_Deal," he whispered, still slightly breathless, even as he knew he was selling a little piece of his soul._

Chapter Six --

Detective Charlie Crews was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He didn't need to be told twice that he had been given the green light to make one of his favorite fantasies come true. He was about to have a wild night with Dani Reese. Detective Dani Reese. His partner. The woman he was in love with. Not being a stupid man, he knew he wasn't going to profess his undying love and devotion to her tonight and have her turn to him and echo back his feelings. He knew he wasn't about to go upstairs and lay her gently back on his enormous bed and make sweet slow love to her. He was under no delusional fog. This was going to be purely about need and desire. For tonight, it would just have to be enough. He'd figure out the rest later. He'd deal with the pain of her getting up in the morning and leaving, acting as if the previous few hours had never happened. For now, he'd stay in the moment; enjoy it for what it was – a chance to be with her. A chance to _know her_ know her, for just a little while.

He moved his hands so they were covering her own, holding her breasts. He squeezed and lifted, loving the weight in his hands.

Needing to taste her again he moved his right hand, tangling it in her hair and then pulling until her head followed the pull, exposing her neck to his exploring mouth. He ran his tongue from her collarbone up, along the side of her neck, stopping just below and behind her earlobe. He began a rapid flicking with his tongue, mimicking the movement he promised to bring to her clit later. The pattern of movement was not lost on Dani. She moaned again and rubbed herself faster in his lap, becoming far less gentle with her breasts.

"Oh god, oh…" she breathed, "that feels so good."

He smiled against her neck and a made a mental note that she liked that.

He moved back away from her and gently grasped her wrists in his hands, raising them above their heads where he transferred them so he was holding both of her wrists in his left hand. He then lifted her left breast with his free hand, capturing the nipple with his mouth. She rocked against him again and moaned her approval of this new sweet torture. He sucked a little harder, moving his head back until her nipple slipped out of his mouth with a soft pop.

"Crews?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's take this upstairs."

"But I'd have to let you go to do that."

It was one of those things he did that used to drive her insane, but that she was coming to appreciate. He wasn't being sarcastic, or trying to be difficult. He was telling her the absolute truth.

He didn't want to let her go just yet. Not quite yet.

Dani was enjoying herself. It was incredibly nice to finally just let herself go and indulge in the fantasy that was her partner. She wanted more though. And she wanted it now. She decided to get up and head to his bed, knowing that he would follow her. She started to lower her arms only to have Crews tighten his grip on her wrists. That surprised her. She didn't think him the type to take control.

She smiled against his lips and started to move her arms again, testing his grip. Again he tightened his grip, but this time also put his other hand on her lower back holding her to him while issuing a soft, almost growling, "I said not yet."

What didn't surprised Dani in the slightest bit was her reaction to being in a position where she had no control at all. It certainly surprised Crews a great deal. The part of his brain that had helped him survive prison was waiting for her to head butt him or some other such thing to gain the upper hand again. He certainly didn't expect for her to grind up against him more frantically and slightly…what? Whimper? Moan? He wasn't sure how to categorize it, but he was sure that it was a sound of delight and that Dani was certainly more surprising that he had thought.

He chuckled, "Hmm, I didn't expect that."

He rained light kisses down on her face. Surprised, but never more turned on by this amazing woman in his lap.

"What?"

She wouldn't surrender it all easily. She never did.

"You know what."

Crews was amazed at how confident he was that she was going to turn over control in the bedroom to him. He never expected that. She was always the one in control at work, in the car, everywhere. He supposed it made sense that she gave it up somewhere.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Kiss me."

She loved being controlled in bedroom. By the right person, of course. It had to be someone she could trust. Not just any Friday night bar guy would do. It had been a long long time since she'd been able to give up control. It was always a little scary at first, but this time even more so. It had been so long. And it was Crews.

"Uh-uh. Tell me."

He pulled his head back and grinned at her.

"Tell you what?"

He was enjoying himself far too much. She supposed that it would make sense that he'd like to be in control. God only knew what had happened to him in prison. Tonight was going to be a great night.

"Tell me that you like it."

He was so hard that it was almost painful.

"Like what?"

She could feel herself getting wetter by the second.

"Having me in control."

His voice was lower than normal. She felt her nipples tighten more, her body strung so tightly that she felt she might explode. And they hadn't even gotten past second base!

She scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She didn't know how much longer she could keep up the charade. She was having fun. She couldn't remember the last time she had had fun while having sex. It was always just sex. Just release. Not fun too.

He grinned, tightening his grip again on her wrists and holding her arms up above her head a little higher. He moved closer to her, brushing her nipples with his chest and growled in her ear, "Tonight you're going to do exactly what I say, when I say it and you're going to come harder than you've ever come before, all before I ever fuck you."

She made that noise again.

"There! See? I knew it. So say it."

"What?! That was cheating. You said … stuff."

"Oh, okay, my mistake, I apologize." He lowered her arms and let go of her wrists, only to have her quickly change her tune.

"No, no, you're right. I do. I like it. I like it a lot. I really like having you in control…..of me."

"I know," he said nonchalantly. "Now get upstairs and get completely naked and wait for me on the bed."

"What are you going to be doing?"

"Doesn't matter, I said go."

She felt a shudder of anticipation run through her as she bolted up the stairs. This was certainly going to be a night she would never forget.

Crews sat for a moment on the steps at the base of his stairwell, listening to Dani walk down the hallway towards his bedroom. He rubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. He stood up and walked over to the front doors, turning the deadbolt. No chance on Connie, or anyone else, walking in on this.

He'd walk over hot coals for Dani if she asked him to, but tonight he was going to be the one doing the asking. He figured he could play this game with her and take away her control because really, when he thought about it, she was asking him to be trustworthy, to let her be safe while turning over the reigns to him for a little while. While she got to figuratively let down her hair.

He'd known a lot of guys inside who just loved to take control from women, especially if they didn't want it taken away. He had never understood the appeal. He did, however, completely understand that he totally dug anything that made Dani Reese squirm in his lap make her wet and make her make that noise.

He climbed the stairs slowly, pausing to pick up the empty glasses and the bottle of Glenfidditch, walking back to the kitchen to set the glasses in the sink and put the bottle away in the cupboard.

There was something about making them wait to be together that was making it…more. More what he wasn't sure, but he knew it was right. He knew she would be upstairs on his bed, naked and waiting for him. He savored the moment as he climbed the stairs, two at time, and walked down the hallway.

He walked into his room to a sight that immediately seared itself into his memory. One that he was sure would become a regular fantasy for when he felt the need to take matters into his own hands on the mornings that a cold shower just wouldn't cut it.

Detective Dani Reese was laying in the center of his bed, completely naked. Her knees were bent and she had two fingers from her left hand pumping furiously inside of herself as the fingers of her right hand rubbed rapidly across her clit.

"I didn't say you could touch yourself."

Her eyelids flew open and dark eyes locked onto his.

"Please, it feels so good." Her hands never slowed.

He untied the string of his pants and pushed the pants down, stepping out of them. When he straightened she saw the object of her desire fully.

He was glorious. The shock of red hair stood in stark contrast to his pale skin.

She licked her lips as she stared at his cock. He could see the desire written all over her.

"Okay, keep going."

He knelt on the bed next to her and touched her left hand, pulling her fingers out of herself. He moved closer to her and softly commanded, "Suck me."

His heart was pounding in his chest. He waited for her to tell him that he was an idiot and wasn't any good at being in control, but to his surprise and delight she smiled up at him and took him into her mouth. He lifted her hand, sucking her wet fingers, feeling her shudder. She paused, and when he looked down at her face he noticed that her brows were knit together.

She was coming.

Quietly.

"Let me hear you, Dani."

As though she had been waiting for the okay from her, she suddenly began crying out, "Oh. Oh! Oh God. Oh God."

"Good," he whispered, which only seemed to make her come harder. Her whole body shook, her eyes closed tightly. She finally slowed her fingers and opened her eyes to look at him.

He had several more hours with her and he'd be damned if that was the last time she was going to come.

He moved so that he was cradling her, holding her against him. He simply held her and stroked her hair and arms, anywhere that he could reach – he touched, almost petting her.

After several moments he asked, "You good?"

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Good. Here's the deal. When I was inside…." he wasn't sure how to say this. He paused and took a breath, deciding that bluntness and honestly was most likely the best bet.

"When I was inside, it was a long time being in, you know? Rule of thumb in there is that unless you're into having the bulls come looking for you, you don't make a sound when you come. I'm not inside anymore. And I want to hear you. So when you come, you make sure I can hear it, okay?"

She nodded her head. Of course she didn't really understand what he was saying. How could she? How could anyone that hadn't been through that? She could understand though that he was asking her to let him hear her. And she could do that for him. It was want he wanted from her tonight, so it was what she would give him tonight.

"Also, I'm not so great at being in control. I don't really have any practice at it. So if there's something you want, let me know and if there's something you don't like, let me know. Okay?"

She smiled up at him, "Crews, you're doing just fine. Don't worry. I'll tell you this though. What you just did? Coming in and tell me to suck you? That was good. Obviously. Just do what you've always wanted to do and know that I'm right here along with you for the ride. Seriously. I mean you jacked off while thinking about me, while looking at me. You must have had some fantasies. Now's your chance, let's just enjoy, hmm?"

It was his turn to nod his head.

"Okay then."

He lay back on the bed, turned his head towards her again and said, "In that case, why don't you finish what you started?"

Her mouth was incredibly warm. That was the only coherent thought he was capable of at that moment. How warm her mouth was surrounding him. And soft. Good. God, he felt so good. She felt….warm. Good. No, great. Better….oh, yeah, better than apples. This…good. He wasn't fully aware of his thought process but the small part of his brain that had been trained in prison and _never_ ever shut off knew that as long as she kept sucking him he was going to continue regressing until he hit full-on caveman. "You…good. Me…come."

Again, that back part of his mind, those disconnected thoughts, almost dreamlike in quality, made their way to the forefront of his consciousness. He thought the word, "come" which in turn made him picture him coming. In Reese's mouth. He looked at her slipping his cock deeper into her mouth as she looked up at him and reached up to graze one of his nipples with her nails. Just like that he was grunting, breathing loudly and heavily as he came. In Reese's mouth. Oh, fuck. He hadn't given her any warning. Although, to be perfectly fair, he didn't really think _he_ had been given any warning. He certainly hadn't expected it to be over so quickly. He opened the eyes that had shut as soon as he had started to come, looking down at his partner. Her eyes were locked on his. She slowly closed them, and continued sucking him until he rasped, "Stop, stop…I can't take it anymore." He grinned at her as she slid her way up his body, pausing to kiss him on his belly. His chest. Bicep. Collarbone. Neck. Jaw. Lips.

She lay down in the crook of his arm, resting her head on his chest, listening to heart slow down. His fingers immediately began lightly playing along her arm.

He looked at the top of her head and lifted her chin up so she was looking at him again.

"You did very well. That was good."

She beamed u at him. Dani never would have guessed it. Not in a million years. Not ever. Her ever so calm, Zen spouting partner had a dominant streak in him. Not mean, not sadistic, just quietly dominant and in control. He blew her mind. She was enjoying this night far more than she had ever imagined. It felt almost too good to be true.

"Dani?"

She smiled as she ran her fingers absentmindedly through his chest hair.

"Hmm?"

He continued to run his fingers along her arm, raising goose bumps as he went.

"Tell me how you felt when I came in your mouth."

She felt her heart slam against her ribcage. So…he liked hearing her talk "dirty". This was absolutely going to be one night she wouldn't soon forget. Too good to be true. She felt her cheeks blush. She took in a shaky breath.

"Surprised. I didn't expect that from you."

He rolled so that he was facing her more, lifting a knee slightly and pulling her top leg over his raised knee. He reached down her leg and began very slowly making his way up her leg.

"Keep going," he urged.

She looked at him and continued, "I figured you would have warned me, or pulled away."

His hand made its way up and cupped her ass.

"I liked it though."

He began kneading her soft flesh gently.

She made a contented "mmm" sound, which made him smile gently down at her.

"Tell me how you felt knowing that I had a copy of your magazine."

She didn't hesitate for the smallest moment before saying, "Embarrassed. Stunned."

He moved his hand further so that his fingertips could reach her wet slit, rewarding her honesty with rubbing her and issuing soft words of encouragement for being honest and open with him. Always.

He moved his arm back so that it was between them and he could have full access to her. He rubbed his fingers across her, focusing on teasing her opening. She began to slowly rock her hips.

"Tell me how you felt knowing I jacked off while looking at your picture," he whispered as he slipped the tip of finger inside of her.

"Powerful. Excited. Incredibly turned on."

He pushed further into her, causing her to moan and buck her hips, trying to get more of him inside of her.

"Tell me how you felt posing for that picture."

Her eyes opened and she fixed a semi-hard look at him. As hard as she could, while he was doing such delicious and distracting things to her body. He simply raised an eyebrow, waiting. His finger paused. She moved her hips, seeking his fingers once more, which pulled away from her.

"Dani…I really want to slip my fingers into your pussy, but you have to talk. You wanted me in control. We both know I am. You need what I've got, don't you?" He slipped his finger fully inside of her and then quickly pulled it back out, holding himself away from her.

She wasn't able to keep her hips from bucking, or the moan that had been issued from her.

"Tell me," he quietly commanded.

She began hesitantly, "I…I was scared."

He slipped his finger back inside of her.

"Good girl. Keep talking and telling me the truth. It will be rewarding. I promise."

The reward for talking was not lost on her and she endeavored to answer any and all questions he asked of her, so long as he kept doing what he was doing.

"I…I wasn't sure, but….I needed the money. I knew James, the photographer."

He slipped another finger inside of her, filling and stretching her a little more.

"It was his girlfriend…Laura…that I posed with."

It wasn't lost on Crews that the pauses between her sentences were getting longer. She was going to need more direct questioning.

There was no doubt in his mind that in her current state of arousal she would tell him anything, answer any question, to keep him doing what he was to her. He thought it through though and knew that he couldn't ask her any questions about her father. Not while he had her in this state. That was just creepy. He was beginning to gross himself out and forced his mind to focus on what he was doing again.

He pushed her onto her back and while continuing to move his finger rhythmically in and out of her, kissed his way down her body, pausing to question her.

"Did you enjoy posing once it got started?"

He lavished her breast with kisses.

"No. Not really."

"Why?"

He moved to the other breast.

"It wasn't…very sexual. It was awkward. Posed and forced."

"Did you wish it were more sexual?"

He licked and nipped at her belly button.

"Yes."

His mouth finally found her swollen and wet slit.

"Was she the woman you slept with?"

He ran his tongue over her, paying close attention to her clit. Reese moaned and rocked her hips before answering, "She was the first woman I was with."

Crews looked up at her and raised his eyebrows in a look of surprise.

Listening to Reese talk so openly and honestly with him was rewarding to him in and of itself. The fact that she was talking about sex – with other women – that was nothing but pure male fantasy come to life.

Twelve years in prison is an awfully long time to be without a woman. Since is release Charlie had found that he seemed to have no trouble "rising to the occasion" as Tina had put it, several times a night. Or was it Gina? He wasn't sure how long it would be before that would stop, if ever, but he certainly wasn't complaining. Neither were the women he had been sleeping with. As a result, and certainly not in small part to what he was doing to Reese, he was completely hard again. This time, he knew from experience, he would last considerably longer than he had when she had given him head.

"Talk to me," he commanded as he moved back up, positioning himself above her, pausing with his tip at her opening.

"Tell me what you want, Reese."

She moved her hips forward, trying to impale herself on him.

"You," she breathed. "Oh God, Crews….I want you. I need you."

He plunged himself into her, possessing her completely. This was what they both needed. What they wanted.

She reached up, sliding her hand onto the back of his neck.

"Kiss me, please."

His eyes darkened and he bent his head, savagely plunging his tongue into her mouth in time with his dick.

Jennifer had never, not once in their years together let him kiss her after he's gone down on her. She had made him turn his face away from her so that he wouldn't breathe on her with her scent on his breath. There was never any time that he could simply fall asleep in her arms afterwards. She'd rouse him if he began to drift to go clean himself up, washing his face and brushing his teeth. Although truth be told, it wasn't often that he was able to convince her to let him go down on her. Jennifer was a missionary style girl.

Reese moaned and held him closer, trying to kiss him deeper still. She wrapped her legs around his waist, opening herself up to him even more.

He felt her tensing around him. He broke the kiss to whisper in her ear, "That's it…come for me," before once again licking her neck in the rapid-fire manner that she seemed to so adore, sending her crashing noisily over the edge, much to his delight.

The steady pulsing around him, the loud whimpers in his ear, and finally the almost painful bite on his shoulder sent him crashing after her, a long and loud, "Fuuuuuck!" torn from his lips before he began panting, "Reese, Reese, Reese," with each of his final thrusts.

She held him tightly to her, their sweat glistened bodies slick and sticky.

She could feel his heart hammering wildly against her breast, knowing that she would never fully recover from this night.

They got into a more comfortable position, letting the air-conditioner work it's magic to cool them off.

Crews reached over and grasped Dani's small hand in his, twining their fingers together.

The need in her satiated in a way her Friday night lovers had never been able to, Dani's mind began to buzz.


End file.
